- Directed by
- Robertson, Hugh A., American, 1932 - 1988
- Subject of
- Adderley, Cannonball, American, 1928 - 1975
- Armstrong, Louis, American, 1901 - 1971
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Basie, Count, American, 1904 - 1984
- Calloway, Northern, American, 1948 - 1990
- Cara, Irene, American, born 1959
- Roy Eldridge, American, 1911 - 1989
- Ellington, Duke, American, 1899 - 1974
- Grant, Doug, American, 1959 - 2018
- Hawkins, Coleman, American, 1904 - 1969
- Henderson, Melanie, American, born 1957
- Holiday, Billie, American, 1915 - 1959
- Jackson, Mahalia, American, 1911 - 1972
- King, B.B., American, 1925 - 2015
- Simone, Nina, American, 1933 - 2003
- Smith, Bessie, American, 1894 - 1937
- Stone, Sly, American, born 1943
- Winston, Hattie Mae, American, born 1945
- Zawinul, Joe, Austrian, 1932 - 2007
- Owned by
- D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
- Date
- 1971
- Medium
- polyester film
- Dimensions
- Duration: 25 Minutes
- Length (Film): 900 Feet
- Caption
- Black Music in America: From then till Now is a short documentary that was directed by Hugh Robertson in 1971. The film discusses the history of musical genres rooted in Black cultural production and the ways in which historical occurrences, such as enslavement and Jim Crow, influenced the evolution of musical genres like the blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, and more. The film features performances by major Black musicians like Bessie Smith, B.B. King, Sly and the Family Stone, and others.
- This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
- Description
- A documentary film with the title Black Music in America: From Then till Now. It consists of a single reel of color 16mm polyester film with optical sound.
- The documentary features clips of some of the most recognized Black artists of all-time. The film is bookended by clips of Nina Simone performing her song “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black.” From here the film tracks the history of Black music to Africa and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, pointing to the influence of traditional African drumming and also indicating that slave masters encouraged singing and dancing within the confines of the middle passage slave ships. Additionally, the documentary features performance clips from Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, Billie Holiday, Sly and the Family Stone, and other musicians.
- Place used
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
- Collection title
- DC Public Library Film Collection
- Classification
- Time-based Media - Moving Images
- Topic
- Africa
- African diaspora
- Documentary films
- Film
- Music
- Musicians
- Trans Atlantic slave trade
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2017.55.68.1a
- Restrictions & Rights
- Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




